Thursday, March 27, 2014

It's All About The Gut and the Gut Balance Program

Among the
latest and greatest breakthroughs of modern medicine is the mapping of the
human genome with its vast potential for gene based therapies. I find this work
extremely interesting although I’m not exactly sure where it will lead.What’s even more interesting is the work
being done to explore the genome of what is living in our gut that is not
human.This is referred to as our
microbiome. It is the trillions of bacteria and other microscopic living
organisms that are an integral part of us. They are found on our skin, in our
mouth, throughout the inside of our body, and most famously in our gut (our
stomach, small intestines, and large intestines).

Our
microbiome is a large, diverse and dynamic population of micro-organisms. During
birth and the first two years of life we acquire our “native bacteria.” This
comes primarily from our mother from our birth and (hopefully) subsequent
breast feeding. Thus, mom’s health and her microbiome are of extreme importance
to baby and instrumental in shaping the future health of the child. After this
“transient bacteria” is constantly ingested into our body from food, water,
air, and if we choose probiotics.

These
organisms are counted in CFUs (colony-forming unit) of live organisms. In your
gut they are specifically measured as CFU/g or colony-forming units per gram of
solid material. Here’s where it gets interesting! While a CFU is not
specifically a “cell” it is a close approximation. The stomach and the duodenum
(first part of small intestines) have the smallest number of organisms around
103 (1,000) CFU/g. In the rest of the small intestines (the jejunum
and ileum) the number increases from 104 to 107 (ten
million) CFU/g. And by the time we get to the colon (large intestine) things
are really cooking! There are now 1012 CFU/g. For you math majors
that is one trillion – 1,000,000,000,000 – and that is per gram!

It is
believed that the entire human body consists of 1014 cells of which
only 1013 are of human origin, the remaining 90% are bacteria.That is why you will hear statements to the
affect that we have more bacteria cells than human!

Across the
human population it is estimated that there are 40,000 unique bacteria species.
Every person has a unique profile of predominant and subdominant species.Scientists have even found that some bacteria
strains are only found in one person!

So, what
does this all mean? Human genome research has identified approximately 20,000
unique human genes. Your gut microbiome has up to 3.3 million unique genes, 150
times more than its human host. This means that the gut microbiome may perform
functions not encoded in the human genome. In English – it means that your
personal bacteria have significant influence on your health. Current research
suggests that tendencies for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease may be more
related to your gut genes than your own human genes! Are we inheriting “bad”
genes or is it actually “bad” guts?

What do they
do? Why has this evolved as part of the human?
The “good” bacteria have beneficial effects so we’ve allowed them to settle in.
They ferment the non-digestible carbohydrates that we consume (for example
certain types of fiber) which they feed on to survive and also produce short
chain fatty acids (SCFA). SCFAs support our immune system (by being anti-microbial
– killing bad bacteria and yeast) and fire our metabolism which aids in weight
loss or the maintenance of a healthy body weight. The beneficial bacteria aid
in our absorption of calcium, magnesium, and iron; manufacture Vitamins B5,
B7, B9, B12, and K; synthesize amino acids;
and keep the pH of the colon properly acidic.At the same time they provide a barrier lining the gut to keep out
potential pathogens.

What about
when things aren’t quite right? Dysbiosis is used to describe when bad bacteria
take control of an area. This can occur in the mouth (bad breath, periodontitis
and gum disease); in the stomach (the bacteria Helicobacter pylori had been linked to ulcers); and in the small
and large intestines.

Common causes
of dysbiosis include: sub-optimal mother’s gut microbiota, birth, and neonatal
nutrition; antibiotics; stress; an unhealthy diet such as the Standard American
Diet heavy on processed and refined foods and sugar, while low in vegetables; a
decreased immune status (low secretory IgA); decreased gut motility; low
hydrochloric acid production; altered intestinal pH (generally the colon is not
acidic enough to create a hostile environment for bad bacteria and
yeast/fungus); and an intestinal infection or infestation.

Many
challenges have been linked to dysbiosis including autoimmune diseases, other
digestive problems, and other general health issues.

The gut
balance program includes supplements to support the elimination of bad bacteria
and the healthy re-population of your gut with beneficial bacteria. It has an herbal formula that is antimicrobial
(attacks bacteria, fungi and protozoa that should not be there), cleanses the
intestines, and stimulates digestion. It includes a prebiotic to feed the good
bacteria and support their population growth. Prebiotics are food ingredients
that humans cannot digest which provide health benefits to the good bacteria in
our gut. These include: non-digestible carbohydrates, glucans, galactans,
resistant starch, pectins, hemicellulose, arabinoxylans, inulin-type fructans,
and galacto-oligosaccharides. And, it includes a probiotic. Quite the complete
package!

The
program is designed in the short term to promote a healthy and balanced
intestinal flora, cleanse the lower gastrointestinal tract, and maintain a
healthy GI environment.In the long term
this supports healthy digestion, improves nutrient absorption, and supports a
healthy immune system.

Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and
Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create
individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Mequon, WI. To
learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262)
389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.